May 25, 2008 16:42

My Chemical Romance speak about 'emo' suicide

Band offer condolences to Hannah Bond's family and say they are 'anti-suicide'

Photo Gallery: My Chemical Romance

My Chemical Romance have spoken out about the suicide of Hannah Bond, the 13 year-old fan of the band from Kent who recently hanged herself.

At a hearing about her death coroner Roger Sykes suggested that Hannah Bond’s suicide was linked in with her apparent obsession with emo music, saying that he found the overtones of the genre "disturbing".

Writing on Mychemicalromance.com, the band offered their condolences to Bond's family. They went on to say that as a band they were "anti-suicide", and that one of their aims was to provide "comfort, support and solace" to their fans.

The message read: "We have recently learned of the suicide and tragic loss of Hannah Bond. We'd like to send our condolences to her family during this time of mourning. Our hearts and thoughts are with them.

"My Chemical Romance are and always have been vocally anti-violence and anti-suicide. As a band, we have always made it one of our missions through our actions to provide comfort, support, and solace to our fans.

"The message and theme of our album 'The Black Parade' is hope and courage. Our lyrics are about finding the strength to keep living through pain and hard times. The last song on our album states: 'I am not afraid to keep on living' – a sentiment that embodies the band's position on hardships we all face as human beings.

"If you or anyone that you know have feelings of depression or suicide, we urge you to find your way and your voice to deal with these feelings positively."

The statement comes roughly a week before My Chemical Romance fans plan to march in protest against the media's depiction of the band.

The march will begin in Hyde Park in London on Saturday (May 31) and end outside the offices of the Daily Mail newspaper. Organisers are hoping that the My Chemical Romance protest march will attract around 1,000 supporters.